squishy vehicle equipped with soft wheels tagged posts

‘Squishy’ Motors and Wheels give Soft Robots a new Ride

Rutgers University engineers created unique elastomeric rotary actuators based on pneumatically driven peristaltic motion. Using silicone-based wheels, these motors enable a new class of soft locomotion -- not found in nature -- that can withstand impact, traverse irregular terrain and operate in water. For soft robotics, this innovation represents progress toward providing torque without bending actuators. Credit: Xiangyu Gong

Rutgers University engineers created unique elastomeric rotary actuators based on pneumatically driven peristaltic motion. Using silicone-based wheels, these motors enable a new class of soft locomotion — not found in nature — that can withstand impact, traverse irregular terrain and operate in water. For soft robotics, this innovation represents progress toward providing torque without bending actuators. Credit: Xiangyu Gong

Rutgers engineers, in a breakthrough, create a soft motor that could power versatile soft robots. A small, squishy vehicle equipped with soft wheels rolls over rough terrain and runs under water...

Read More